This invention relates generally to knock-down furniture, and more particularly to a module capable of being grouped into multiples to define various articles of furniture, the module being formed of four panels which may be joined together to create an open-ended box by means of a removable strut connector.
The geometry of a box is basic to most articles of furniture; for whether the article is a storage cabinet, a bookcase, a dresser or any piece having an interior space to accommodate and store books, clothing, utensils or other household, office or factory goods or supplies, the interior space or spaces have a box-like volume bounded by upper, lower and side walls.
An inherent characteristic of articles of furniture having box-like interior spaces is their high ratio of bulk-to-weight; for volume of each piece is mainly composed of open space. For example, a bookcase 8 feet long, 6 feet high and 1 foot wide, formed of wood, may weigh as little as one hundred pounds. Yet the structure is relatively bulky, and in order to ship a conventional bookcase of this size, a very large shipping carton is required. Since shipping charges are largely determined by the bulk of the article and to a much lesser extent by its weight, the shipping cost for an inexpensively-constructed bookcase may be disproportionally high. Thus it may cost $50 to ship a bookcase worth $100.
But the cost of shipping is not the only factor which must be taken into account, for there are also warehousing expenses. Typically, a factory which manufactures inexpensively-constructed bookcases must maintain an inventory thereof, and since each bookcase is bulky, the warehouse space requirements are considerable and therefore costly.
It is for these reasons that in recent years efforts have been directed toward creating knock-down furniture pieces whose components lend themselves to warehousing and shipping in the flat state to afford a low bulk-to-weight ratio, the components thereafter being assembled at the site.
The strength and stability of any article of furniture lies not only in the structural characteristics of the components forming the piece, but also on the connecting joints. Thus a table having a flat top and legs connected thereto, regardless of the quality of its components, will be a poor table if the joints are weak and unsteady.
It is the problem of joints which has plagued knock-down furniture, for one cannot with such furniture make use of epoxy or other strong permanent bonding agents at the joints, in that one must be able to dismantle the piece.
The present invention is directed to a knock-down module formed by four panels which are joined together by removable pins. A module generally of this type is disclosed in the Krieks U.S. Pat. No. 3,885,845, in which a knock-down furniture system is formed around a basic unit of two side panels and top and bottom panels which can be assembled in edge-to-edge relation. The edges are dove-tailed and are joined together by removable pins inserted in bores extending through the jointed corners, the pins acting to interconnect the edges of the panels which form the corners.
The strength and stability of this box-like unit is mainly determined by its pin-connected jointed corners. But these pins offer little resistance to forces or loads imposed on the structure in directions which are angled with respect to the wall surfaces. If, for example, a heavy diagonal pressure is applied to the Krieks unit, the joints will not be able to withstand this pressure and will be forced to assume an unacceptable trapezoidal form.